Iron and Wine
by MeLaNch0LYdreams
Summary: Steve knew that Tony's need for flare always landed him in trouble. He just didn't know it would have ended up on the frontpage of The New York Times, IRON MAN: Friend or foe? Oneshots.
1. Chapter 1

The New York Times

Tony heard the stomping long before the Captain come near, and slammed the newspaper down right under his nose, which was really interfering with the headway he had been trying to make on the helmet. You know, lazer beams. He didn't look up at the blond, practically shaking with pent up anger, as he screwed the last volt.

"I know you like catching up on your reading but I'm sort of busy here."

Steve simply pointed to the headline.

_IRON MAN: Friend or foe?_

_The battle at Manhattan City reached a breaking point when The Avengers faced off with the alien race Chiaturi, causing the destruction of New York's biggest city. How safe can our city be with the safety of so many put in the hands of so few? Some that had not even believed to have existed up until this point (see:Captain America) but that is not who this article is focused on. Upon attempting a crash landing, the jets on Iron Man's suit had come so close to Alanna Lynn's face that she has sustained third degree burns. The Lynns plan to press charges among many others who have rallied against Iron Man's involvment since day one. Continued on page 6._

The Starks groaned and lay back in his chair, almost forgeting Steve was in the room.

"They've been outside for a while."

His eyes snapped down and he raced over to the window, a protest had taken place at the base of the building and others were quickly joining. "Shit."

"Told you so."

"Shut up. No one likes you anyways."

"Except you."


	2. Chapter 2

Culture Shock

"Wha...What are they wearing?" Tony put out the cigarette and stroked his beard, almost snickering in bemusement at Steve's combination of horror and confusion.

"Hookers. Sluts. Whores. Harlots. Trollops. Never seen one before? I'm sure you had your share of women lining up to get in your pants."

He watched Steve mussitate in astonishment, and finally give up as he slumped against the side of a commercial building. The blond watched the two trollops, decked out in mini skirts and thigh high boots chat with each other animatedly and disappear around the corner. If the captain paid enough attention, he would have noticed the vulturistic looks in the corner of their eyes as they passed him, their stealth level almost Russian. Not that Natasha worked in the sex trade or anything.

"We're in the red light district. Take your pick. One on the left? Right? Both?"

Steve slumped further into himself. "That's not why I'm here." He said in a small voice, not meeting Tony's eyes. He quirked a brow in puzzlement.

"Oh yeah, you were a New Yorker before The Avengers Initiative, so you lived around here."

Steve visibly perked up. "Part of it." He sounded guarded but a hint of something else...like a teenage girl that desperately wanted to tell you a secret by giving you all the hints but not say anything directly.

"Oh? So what did you need me for?"

That was rhetorical. Thor and Bruce weren't hospitable enough to give the Captain a tour of one of America's finest cities. But to be fair, neither was he.

Steve pushed off from the wall, blue eyes resolute in the dark, only caught under the illumination of the street lights.

"I wanted to be alone with you."

Starks felt the endorphin rush that came with excitement, the rush of blood in his ears, the heat on his face, the lump in his throat.

"...Me?"

Iron man knew where this was going, but he wasn't taking any chances. As it were, the Captain answered his question by closing the distance between them.

Steve smiled against his mouth. "I don't need them if I got you."


	3. Chapter 3

The Catcher in the rye

Starks nursed his cup of coffee and did a spitake upon seeing the worn tome in Steve's hands. The burly blond's head was burrowed into it, and Tony resisted the urge to roll his eyes, its not like the solider could even see it.

"The Catcher in the Rye? Really? I don't think that was even around at the time, was it?"

Steve's smile, which consisted of a whole transformation from the veteran avenger to a boyish glee that never failed to trip him up. Steve's bright blue eyes brightened, his face positively glowed (really, glowed?) And his caramel tinted skin flushed in pleasure. He always looked good. "Holden's got more class than you do." And a bit of a dick.

"Really? Not Stradlater or Ackley? It's not much of an insult."

Steve shook his head in disagreement. "You're not all that bad. Holden isn't a very honest person, and it isn't even for noble reasons-"

"Gee thanks."

"-but he's got his good points. He seems misguided in life, but that's because he cannot bring himself to trust others and give them a chance to accept the person he really is. The Caul in Caulfield is already a metaphor for the red hunting hat for when a fetus is rendered blind in the womb, I guess the same can be said for your helmet."

He had a bunch of retorts lined up, but they all dissipated on his tongue at the earnest look Steve fixed him, book forgotten, the sun's rays penetrating Starks Tower to make the blond seem more angelic than he actually was. Loath as he was to admit, he could see the appeal that everyone spoke of. He was almost jealous of the innocence Steve projected. He knew all this, but he could never bring himself to say it.

"If a body catch a body comin' thro the rye?"

Steve rolled his eyes. Flecks of green danced off his eyelashes. "If a body meet a body. Robert Burns is vulgar."

"But very accurate," Tony set down the coffee mug, drawing his captain in for a kiss.


	4. Chapter 4

Maps (Part One)

"Hey mister, what are you doing?"

Steve's eyes opened, the world pulling into focus as the child's voice perked up some point above him.

"If you keep lying there I'm going to poke you."

True to his word, he felt a prod at his face.

"Do you want to stop this from occurring?"

The exiled Asgardian stepped over the red and gold iron suit, looking down at the Captain with a smug look. It took every fiber of his being to stop himself from wiping that look off his face. He clenched rocks in his fists, ignoring the destruction of Manhattan around him. Loki kicked the helmet dangerously close to-

His eyes snapped open in disbelief.

"Tony!"

The young boy's brows knit in confusion, his dark brown eyes familiar. "How do you know my name?"

Oh hell.

"I'll bet you wonder why I spared you, Captain."

Steve didn't answer, his strength draining out of him as Loki bent down to whisper in his ear.

"I'll do you a favor. If you can stop The Avengers initiative, you win."

The portal remained open, thunder booming and lightening crackled. The sky around it tore like paper, and if Steve had been more of a poet he would have said that the sky was falling.

The Asgardian pressed a boot to his temple, and kicked off Starks tower, well in to the abyss.

"It's very rude to stare. Didn't your mother teach you any manners?"

The kid glared at him, growing uncomfortable with the blond's stare of disbelief. His mother had warned him about stranger danger but he assumed in this scenario that he was more stranger than danger.

The blond opened and closed his mouth a few times, blue eyes going dark with sadness. The strange man smiled ruefully. "I'm a bit weak, can you help me up?"

He wasn't weak in the slightest, but seeing as he at least exceeded the kid's weight by a couple hundred pounds, it would be amusing to see him try.

The kid wore a determined look, although it wasn't hard to see that he knew this wasn't going to work. He tensed as the kid sat on his hips and reach around the man to pull him up. They were in the middle of the street! What would the neighbors say? Steve hurriedly pulled himself up, pushing the boy off his lap.

"Ha! I knew it!" The boy jumped to his feet, brown hair still the same as ever. "You were faking!" Tony frowned, and there was no way this wasn't Tony. By twist of fate (or some cosmic joke) the gods sent him to the last person he wanted to see-Anthony Starks.

"How do you know my name?" Tony reaffirmed, eyes narrowed into slits. Had this kid been twenty eight years older, he would have been bothered by the constant pestering.

"Small world." (Hah!) "What's the date?"

Tony said nothing for a minute. "It's Wednesday, May 1928."

A million emotions washed over me at that moment. Relief, confusion, fear-the list was endless.

"Do you want come over for dinner?"

Steve jumped. He had almost forgotten Tony was there.

"Um, you don't really know my name kid. Are you sure I'd be welcome?"

Tony beamed confidently.

"Mom won't mind!"

Tony gave him an expectant look.

"What?"

"What's your name?"

"Oh, Steve Rogers."

Tony was already on his feet, back fading into the distance.

Steve sighed. This was going to be a long mission.

A/N: Time Travel AU. Deal with it!


	5. Chapter 5

Maps (Part Two)

Conveniently enough, he had a map in his back pocket. Feeling the creases in the paper brought a sense of relief that Steve hadn't felt in a long time. Between the face-off with Red Skull and Loki, it didn't matter that it was still New York. He hadn't been home for as long as he could remember. The months leading up to Red Skull had been a blur of excitement and loss and it was only after he had lost it all that he could conjure his last days with perfect clarity.

"Long Island?"

If there wasn't any traffic, he would be back in Brooklyn in an hour if he had his Vespa.

He peered in a shop window and retreated back, feeling lost in the crowd. The knowledge that he didn't belong was made apparent by the people walking past him, oblivious of his existence.

"Your late!" Tony crossed his arms, his childish pout took the edge off his expression.

He nodded apologetically, going as far to bow. "Sorry about that, went for a walk."

"Never mind that, my mom wants to meet ya!"

Maria was surprisingly modern looking, with her slightly long brown hair and eyes, but overall he was startled by how average she looked. He had expected the mother of Iron Man to be a bit more...exotic, in comparison to characters like Howard and Tony.

However, Tony's mother wasn't as accommodating as he had made her seem. Which was thus proven when she dropped a glass bowl at the sight of her son dragging a juggernaut by the hand into her home, she looked ready to bolt

"ANTHONY STARK!"

The boy winced at the high pitched distress in her voice. "Mom, this is my fr-"

"What did I say about bringing strangers into this house? What if he asked you to get into his-"

"Mom!" Steve paled at the implications, instantly letting go of the younger child's hand and stepping away.

"That's not it at all! This young man helped me just now, I could have been run over without his..um..."

The two stared at him, clearly peeved he was interrupting their argument. He could see the resemblance now.

Maria glanced between them and sighed in defeat. ""He can stay for lunch, than we'll figure out what to do with him."

Steven repressed the urge to recoil in clear offense. Were all Starks like this? To his surprise Tony simply nodded in admission, quietly pulling up a chair for the Captain. The gesture was adorable-wait, was he considering Iron Man to and adorable in the same sentence? His head reeled as he watched Maria retreat to the kitchen.

Lunch consisted of tuna sandwiches and had been itching for real food for a long time, not liking the walk to the McDonalds not even a block away because as much care as Nick Fury was putting him in, he was not willing to go grocery shopping for Captain. 'Besides,' the SHIELD director said dryly, dropping a frozen Salisbury Steak dinner into his hands. 'You're Captain America aren't you? Embrace the revolution.' In his dazed state he didn't take notice of the pitcher of lemonade slowly emptying itself onto his pants.

"Steve!" Tony called out in surprise, breaking him out of his reverie.

Maria glanced at him and turned away. He looked down at himself, the lemonade had poured dangerously closed to...

"I'll wipe it off!" Tony jumped to get a towel and the captain grabbed him by the arm. There was a limit to how much he could take in one day.

"NO! It's...It's fine, I'll just change into a new pair of pants."

As soon as the words were out of his mouth he realized three things.

1) He had no money  
2) He had no place to stay  
3) Without above two he couldn't complete the rest of the mission.

He bit the inside of his cheek, fists tightening. He had nothing but the clothes on his back. Sure, he had slept in an iceberg for a century but he wasn't sure he could walk a full day without meals to eat and a place to sleep. What was he complaining for? He was a solider, and its what soldiers did best. Survive. An image flashed to mind as soon as the thought came and he vanquished, trying not to recall the split second of confusion as Barnes fell-

"Are you sure?"

He nodded distantly to himself, awkwardly letting the towel drape across his lap. He shifted in his seat, not liking the sticky, wet feel of citrus between his legs. Steve glanced at Tony distantly, the youth sat down beside him, brown eyes earnest. Steve liked it immensely. Children were so innocent, free of worries, so...honest. The boy he saw now was nothing like the almost hollow Tony Stark, sarcastic, biting, intelligent, and assuming. He liked the kid perched at his side, perfectly content with staring at the side of his face, not thinking anything of it. Steve's face grew warm when he realized Maria had left the room for good. He ached for conversation, glad it came without argument.

"So...what do you do for fun?"

Tony perked up, his face brightening with glee. "I'm starting on my high school science project right now-"

"How old are you?"

The Stark merely blinked at him. "Um, nine. Why? Actually I do get it, not many nine your olds are starting high school, huh? Dad says I could get accepted into MIT if I work for it, but there's more to school than just science, you know? You know those thick books, that tell you everything? en-en-sykla..."

Steve smiled as the kid prattled on, making giant hand motions as he did so.

"Encyclopedia?" He offered helpfully, restraining laughter as the Stark punched his palm in understanding.

'Yeah! I'll never get why we need to find the 'implicit meaning of a text.' It isn't useful at all! History is boring and just as useless, and every one's so slow in Arithmetic."

Tony rattled on, going on about his condescending classmates, the uselessness of English (which Steve personally loved but didn't bother to defend), and his inability to keep pace with the kids his age.

"It's no fair." he whined, wrinkling his nose.

"They're all bigger than me! Not as big as you though. You are really big! Were you good at physical activity time?It's the only thing bringing down my average too! I didn't tell Dad that, though. You know, someday I'm going to build this giant suit of armor-and I'm going to fly all around the world rescuing damsels, and I'll get a standing ovation and a ceremony for being a superhero-Steve?"

The smile slipped off his face when Tony started to exactly detail the description of Iron Man (minus the standing ovation and ceremony part) and regained his composure, smiling instead.

"Oh? Are you sure you're ready for the responsibility?" he teased playfully, giving a meaningful look at the mess on the table.

The boy turned red, the tips of his ears poking out when he ran to clean up the mess he pointed at. More words like 'cute' and 'precious' came to mind but he stopped that train of thought before it could be completed.

"I'll let you know a secret," Steve said quietly, Tony immediately jerking around from the mess on the table to give him his fully undivided attention.

"I was as small as you when I was your age." He smiled, and in a moment of spontaneity, he picked up the kid and swung him around in his arms.

"Incoming!" Tony squealed in delight at being hoisted above his shoulders, waving his arms about in uninhibited joy. He let the boy go as they raced through the living room and dropped the giggling boy on the couch.  
"So don't worry about the future so much," Steve said warmly, meaning every word.  
Tony caught him by surprise and wrapped his arms around his neck, pulling him in for a hug.

"Don't go, Steve! You're my only friend."

He froze, heart beating as the brunette buried his head in the space between his face and neck.

"Don't go." Tony muttered, his stubble sharp and soft as they grazed Steve's neck.

His breath hitched and he hesitated, arms awkwardly splayed out at his sides. They stayed there, and the Captain slowly let his arms rest around the billionaire's waist, enjoying the moment for what it was.

"I won't." He whispered, resonating with his past self as he pulled the boy closer to him.


	6. Chapter 6

Maps (Part Three)

He hadn't take any notice of it during the invasion, when the meeting with Steve Rogers was still fresh in his mind-but it didn't mean he had completely ignored the signs.

Red rimmed eyes, irritable, delayed reaction time, generally...slow.

Steve hadn't been getting any sleep.

It was already a mystery how Captain America had slept all those years (in the arctic for no less) until now. In a way, he understood. If he had slept that long, unaware of how much time had passed, he would be scared too. While the loss of his loved ones was still fresh in his mind, waking up in the wrong century with an alien invasion to greet him as soon as he woke up, Tony is sure Steven hasn't even left the compound with the exception of the battle in Manhattan.

So when Steve refused an invitation to a reunion with the other Avengers at Stark Tower, Tony knew that it wasn't simply because of a passionate argument in the past. That, and Iron Man could not possibly conceive why anyone, born in the era or not, would not want to see _the_ Starks Tower.

He blinked "What are you wearing?"

I brushed aside my french bulldog printed pants away from sight, hoping the Captain didn't pay much attention to them. From the silence that followed, he was sure it worked.

"It's cold. Are you going to let me in?"

Coming to the compound was a last minute decision, but in hindsight maybe he should have stopped to grab a sweater. Or the mechanical suit. He felt just like the man Steve was looking for when they first met, wearing only a thin cotton blue shirt and the printed pajama pants. Steve stared some more but cracked the door open further and turned around, an invitation if he ever saw one.

"Can't have a sleepover without dinner and movies!"

Steve jumped back, as the light from the reactor beamed on his wall, acting as a projector of sorts. The captain stared at Tony's chest in astonishment. Lady and the tramp was playing.

"How did you..." the blond shook his head "Actually, forget I asked. What brought this on?"

"Jarvis, popcorn." Tony whispered, glancing at Steve.

"Well, I noticed you refused my invitation. So I figured I'd invite myself."

Steve muttered something that sounded suspiciously like 'of course.'

"I have my own ideas as to why."

Steve absently watched the grey scruffy looking dog poke his nose through trash in the alley. "I don't think you'll be close at all."

"You would be surprised."

Steve's eyes bore into him, blue eyes fierce with annoyance, but he said nothing else.

Tony's eyes started to droop around the most cliche, god awful adorable scene in the history of Disney movies, when Lady and tramp started to share the single strand of spaghetti. A blanket was draped over him. All according to plan.

"Not going to sleep?"

"Not tired," Steve defended himself gruffly.

"But its a sleepovveeeer." He whined sluggishly, rubbing his eyes to stay awake.

"I think you'll do enough sleeping for the both of us."

"I know what you have."

Steve had started to walk away, but he froze then, back tensing.

"Somniphobia. Fear of sleep. It's to be expected from someone who slept in an iceberg for seventy years. Are you fond of dreaming?"

The Captain clenched his fists.

"Wrong question. Do you get nightmares? Or are you afraid you're not going to wake up?"

"Shut up!"

The shout didn't even phase the young billionaire.

"There's places where you can get help for this. We can take it one step at a time."

"You don't even know me."

The blue eyes, once red rimmed were full blown bloodshot by this point, and glassy with tears. Tony averted his gaze, the light from the reactor dimming, the movie still playing. He fixed his attention on the french bulldogs.

"I want to."

Steve made for the exit.

"Don't go."

Steve made no move to exit the billionaire's hold, choosing to instead stand stock still in Tony's arms.

"I won't." He whispered solemnly, bringing his arms to rest over the ones wrapped around his waist.

Tony enjoyed the comfort of Steve's arms, almost afraid that breathing would shatter the perfect moment between the two. His eyelids lowered, as if to remind him of his mission. Right.

"Come." He said softly, his tone so timid his cheeks flamed in embarrassment. He grasped the Captain's hand gently and tugged him in the direction of what he assumed was the blond's room.

Steve paused and nodded, blue eyes out of focus.

Tony's pulse raced as they got to the door and hesitantly turned the knob, feeling sweat start to bead at his neck.

Get a grip! He was just going to lay down with Steve. No hanky panky business!

Besides, he sighed to himself. He had done this a million times before. Why was this so hard?

He incidentally squeezed Steve's hand as he thought this and mentally kicked himself. If Steve noticed at all, he didn't say anything. Something Steve was incredibly grateful for at the moment. Hell, it would probably take a heat seeking missile to dent The Captain.

Tony's eyes adjusted to the dark and saw a faint outline of a double king's sized bed. The room, was like a retro cookie-cutter design of the 50's that IKEA barfed out from probably the last century. From what he could see at least.

He got in first, not breaking the hold he had on the Captain's hand.

After a moment, Steve slipped in beside him, slow and weary. It was like all the magic from before was gone, and now all they were simply two grown men sharing a bed and holding hands. Sans romantic implications.

Tony hesitantly began to pat the blond's hair, seeing the blond's almost invisible tremors.

"Shh, I got you."

Steve relaxed ever-so-slightly, finding solace in the shorter man's touch.

Steve's lashes were really long.

Tony gulped, suddenly enveloped with the urge to do something stupidly romantic like kiss every inch of Steve's face simply for the sake of soothing the crease between his brows.

Steve's lashes quivered. Tony's breath hitched, fingers lacing through The Captain's. His resolve was steadily breaking at the sight of the blond's vulnerability. The smallest of tears leaked from the corner of his eyes, where it ran uninterrupted past his cheeks, through his light stubble that Tony secretly daydreamed about feeling it scrape against his face, and from the way things were going it looks like it was going to be made a reality.

"Hey."

Steve blearily opened his eyes, the blue hues blinded by the film of tears.

Tony smashed their lips together, with none of the finesse or experience of a former playboy, but of a man desperate for contact just as much as Steve was, clinging onto The Captain for dear life. The Captain kissed back without hesitation, pressing forward just as fervently as his counterpart, cradling the brunette's face with an iron grip.

The blond had rolled them onto his back and he pushed away from the bed and turned the tables, maneuvering himself on top of Steve, taking his bottom lip into his mouth. Steve let out a sound at this and returned the favor, slipping a cold hand under his shirt.

"Shit!"

Steve smirked, his bottom lip swollen at the small victory. "Does my progress get a reward?"

Tony snorted, flopping down beside the blond. "What progress? If you're referring to getting laid in your sleep I assure you're already dreaming, cap. Or a somniphiliac."

Steve frowned. "I'm starting to think you know those words for other reasons."

Tony frowned, his exhaustion killing his mood. "Of course. I am the famed kink master...Come on. Sleepy time. Now."

The blond tensed automatically. He had been so caught up in the kiss it had distracted him from Tony's true objective. He eyes the French Bulldogs, distantly wondering what possessed the billionaire to wear them.

"Steve?" the brunette's voice is sluggish and the blond smiles at the sound of it.

"Yes?"

"I mean it. I got you." Tony snuggled deep into the crook of his neck, his beard soft and comforting. "Good night."

Steve lay awake, eventually lulling himself to sleep listening to the rhythmic pulse of his heart, skipping just shy of a beat when he heard a murmured 'Steve' leave his lips.


	7. Chapter 7

Iron and Steel (Part One)

"What are you going to do?"

Natasha watched him a sympathetic look as he welded, the blowtorch the only source of light in the dim room. It was approaching early hours at the tower, and the Stark was trying his best to ignore her presence. For a Russian Stealth Agent, it was strange how he couldn't ignore the weight at his side, covered from head to toe in black. The scent of blood hung heavy in the room, present on Natasha's chest and Tony's legs. It had been a couple hours since daybreak, but the two had made no move to change their clothing. The situation was dire.

"Nothing," he grunted, not sure what caused his stomach to twist, the scent of blood or how much it reminded him that it was akin to iron.

"Tony." Her voice was thick with aggravation and he stopped the blowtorch, lifting his face plate. His face was sweat darkened and shiny, his eyes red rimmed, betraying the nonchalance he thought he had perfectly crafted.

"What?" He snapped finally, unable to witness the brunt of her expectant expression.

"This is the perfect chance to get out of it, anyway. Monogamy isn't really my thing anyway." He snarled, taken aback as the spy gently held the silver chain he wore around his neck.

"You say that," she said softly, tracing the raised letters 'STEVE' imprinted on the dog tag. The brunette backed away from her, as if scalded. "But you're still wearing it."

Natasha jerked away as Tony's hand rested on the chain above hers.

"Not anymore." He muttered, the chain snapping and clattering to the floor.

He bowed his head, the final clang of the dog tag made with the ground was as final as his resolve.


	8. Chapter 8

Iron and Steel (Part Two)

The blond's eyes flickered, a shrill sound ringing in his ears. He blinked, blue eyes dazed and confused.

"Wha...?"

Nick Fury sat by his bedside, as he did the day before when he had first introduced himself. Steve wasn't racist by any stretch-but it still took him aback seeing a black man in a position of power. The man joked something about having to watch 'Marthin Luther King's Speech.'

Fury didn't look away from his newspaper, but started talking anyways.

"Your name is Steve Rogers. You were an asset in the U.S military in World War Two, and the first avenger. Upon crashing into the Arctic, you were put to sleep in a block of ice for seventy years. You awoke exactly eighteen months ago."

"I know," The Captain sighed to himself, and arched his back, popping joints back into place. "But what exactly happened?"

Nick studied him, which was unsettling when said person had only one working eye.

"You have dissociative amnesia."

Steve furrowed his brows in confusion, a revelation on the tip of his tongue. " How? I clearly remember waking up in-"

Eighteen Months.

As if to confirm this, Fury folded his hands, tone imploring. "How long do you remember being awake for?"

The blond lowered his eyes, something shiny caught the corner of his eye.

"A week."

He felt sick. He was aware of the cold silver tag pressed to his chest under the hospital gown. It felt wrong, it wasn't at all like the one he wore back home. Or maybe it was the amnesia talking.

He curiously picked up the dog tag, raising it to eye level with his heart pulsing in anticipation. According to the life support at least.

He expected to see Bucky, or Peggy's name imprinted on it. Obviously not...

"Tony..." he breathed out.

Tony. Eighteen Months. What happened in eighteen months? Enough to discard the names of the people he held dearest, for a person he could not have met but a year ago.

"Who's Tony?"

Nick looked the slightest bit uncomfortable, as if he had found something out that he wasn't meant to.

"I'm not the one you should be asking that."

He ripped the IV out of his arm, and tuned out Nick's startled protests to go back to bed. He walked on.


	9. Chapter 9

Iron and Steel (Part Three)

Natasha slapped him. His cheek burned from where her hand had struck him. Why did he have to ruin something that was so easy to break?

_'I don't do rings.' Tony drawled out, his back to the other person taking space in his bed to avoid the blush he could see heating up his face._

_'Here.'_

_A chain caught his eye._

_'Got it engraved last week.'_

_Tony startled at this. 'But-Bucky and Peggy-'_

_'Are gone.' Steve's voice was thick with fatigue, but he was clearly awake and reasonable. 'It's time I deal with it.'_

**SHIELD HQ**

**June 26, 2012**

"Are you Tony Stark?"

Iron Man's shoulders hunched, but it couldn't be seen under the suit. Thank God. He shook, trying his utmost best to remember how to breath. Good. In and out, in and out-

"What's it to you?" He put a smirk on his face, even though he knew the Captain couldn't see it.

The blond had pulled up his blue mask, eyes troubled. Tony fought to bite his lip so he wouldn't say anything stupid.

"Are we...close?"

It took every fiber of Tony's being to keep walking away, uttering the single most lie he had ever spoke.

"No."

**SHIELD HQ**

**July 2, 2012**

"Your name's Natasha...right?"

Black Widow schooled her features into an impassive expression. "Yes. What can I help you with?"

The Captain was taken aback by the use of his first name when he was clearly still in costume. He knew that his identity was revealed to these people, but it didn't take away from the fact that everyone was in on some big secret that he didn't even know was out.

"Were Tony and I...friends?"

"No." The Russian replied without hesitation, lying back against the fridge as she popped the lid off of a can of soda, downing it one go.

Steve's fists clenched together in aggravation.

"I'm sworn to secrecy, so I can't tell you anymore."

The blond snapped his head up at this, his expression disbelieving.

"That isn't his decision! I have the right to know, and he has no right to keep that from me!"

Natasha bit the inside of her cheek, coke streaming past her lips. She wanted to give answers to Steve, she did, but...

Steve gave her a last look and turned his back, most likely seeking his answers elsewhere.

She raised her voice. "Don't go asking the others. He's sworn them too. Even Thor."

The redhead winced at the sound of the vibranium shield making impact with what was most likely a baroque bust.


	10. Chapter 10

Iron and Steel (Part Three)

Ironically, he received a gift on the fourth of July. It was addressed to 'The Cap" and came with no return address.

_What's stronger? Iron or Steel?_

It lay on a bed of red, white, and blue confetti. He turned the card around.

_Let's find out._

Steve smiled to himself. He had been waiting for an invitation.

**July 6, 2012**

Maybe he was overdressed.

Just a tad.

"Take a seat, Cap."

The blond stood awkwardly in his blue Kevlar suit, watching Tony Stark (in a suit) pour champagne for two. They were on the balcony of Starks tower, a red and white patterned table clothe adorning the small table. A single plate of spaghetti took centre stage.

"Um..."

The Stark smiled at him, patting the seat from across him.

"Don't be shy."

"I think I misinterpreted your invitation." the blond said dryly, pulling his face mask up and pulled up the chain, falling into it with slumped shoulders. Tony cocked a brow, although it was a sarcastic gesture.

"Well," the suit clad man smirked, "The letter was meant to be taken ambiguously."

"And liquor is an equivocator."

It took Steve a moment to place the reference.

"Macbeth."

"Mmm hmm." He stared at the plate of spaghetti, also trying to place its importance.

"...Lady and the tramp?" Tony smiled wider this time, his grin stretching from ear to ear. It was unsettling.

"Yup. Your favorite movie, may I add."

Steve's head was already spinning with implications. Tony Stark. A suit. Eighteen Months. Champagne. Lady and the tramp.

"...Are you trying to tell me something here? I'm getting mixed signals." Steve joked, his eyes lowering.

"Macbeth and Lady and the tramp? What if I hadn't picked it up?" Steve nearly jumped out of his skin at the foot that traced his calf.

"I would have found other ways." Tony's face darkened, the smile still twisted on his face. It was a bit arousing to be honest.

"Oh, Um."

He jumped up to his feet, face aflame.

"I-I just got a call from Fury. He needs help. doing..I got to go."

He didn't look back at the billionaire, bypassing Jarvis's polite insistence that he stay, which he was very sure Tony had forced the machine to say if he was going to leave. His stomach knotted at the thought. Him and Tony. His mind reeled back to the weeks before.

_"Are we close?"_

_"No."_

What was going on?


	11. Chapter 11

Iron and Steel (Part Four)

_"Stark men are made of Iron!"_

_"Vibranium is an alloy of steel, I guess that makes it the strongest element there is."_

_What's stronger? Iron or Steel?_

Let's find out.

In Tony's mind, the answer was so simple. There was none.

He had been blindsided by his own daddy issues to realize what promise Howard had. It seems like everyone knew except for him, and it shamed him. The dinner was Pepper's idea, but like all his plans, they seemed to fail him at the sight of Steve's dumbstruck expression.

Mission aborted.

Alright, so maybe he phrased the invitation ambiguously. What else was new? It was worth it to see the captain in his all-hail-American glory. The spandex didn't leave a lot to the imagination.

The Captain bashfully stared at his feet the whole briefing, something Nick Fury didn't take kindly too, and something Tony was bemused by. Clint wasn't even out the door until the blond layed a heavy hand on his shoulder.

"What can I do for you, Capsicle?"

Steve's jaw tightened but he stayed resolute. "About the other day...I want to talk properly. In normal clothes. Cheesecake factory tonight?"

"I'll be there three hours late." Tony joked, pulling his suited arm away from Steve with some difficulty. That boy had a grip on him.

Steve cracked a smile to his surprise. "I'll be waiting. Eight."

The blond left without another word, leaving the Stark in a stupor.

The Cheesecake factory. Which one?

"JARVIS-"

"In Albany, sir."

It really should have been a crime for Steve to look so suave in grandpa clothes, but he supposed it suited the blond giant. America's standard for obesity wouldn't cover Steve's proportions, but by the looks of it the Captain didn't seem to mind it at all.

"They have the best cheesecake."

Steve's eyes glittered like Sapphires in the dim restaurant lighting. Upon hearing the wail of infants, and incessant chattering Tony felt like reminding the blond that he had the money to go somewhere decent.

Their plates arrived and the billionaire snorted at the blonde's unhidden delight.

"Deep fried mac and cheese? You really are American all the way through."

Ridiculously enough, the table was covered in plates of the entree yet to be consumed courtesy of the Captain.

Steve smiled. "Better than what you're having."

Tony made a show out of trying to look offended. "Caesar salad is the Vibranium to my arc reactor. The peanut butter to my jelly, the Brad to Angelin-"

The blond cocked a brow, dumbfounded. "Who?"

"Whatever," Tony snorted, suddenly feeling shy beyond words at Steve's inquiring look.

There was a moment of silence that stretched on longer than was comfortable before the wailing infant interrupted it.

The blond pushed away his plate, face solemn.

"What were we? Really?"

Tony's unfortunate streak of bad luck and generally asshole-ry struck again.

"You were my bitch."

Steve impersonated a water fountain that had the misfortune of having Tony Stark, clad in Prada, doused in its trajectory. He nonchalantly wiped the water from his face, expression impassive. He supposed he deserved it.

Steve put his face in his hands. "Please be serious."

Maybe it was eighteen months of giving into the Captain's whims, but old habits die hard.

"You're our Captain, but you belong to me."

Tony lifted the dog tag from under his shirt, watching the blue eyes widen into saucers at the sight of raised letters of his name.

Steve looked down.

"I'm sorry. I-I don't-"

Steve trailed off when Tony went on to ignore him, absorbed by typing something furiously into his phone.

"Um. What are you doing?"

The brunette's brows knit in concentration. "Hacking SHIELD security cameras. Really, you think an international intelligence group would work on improving their software after being hacked multiple times."

Steve nodded lamely, eyes intent on the red velvet cheesecake making its way to their table.

"There, four months ago. Watch."

Before Steve could even ask what exactly he was supposed to watch, the phone was shoved into his face, a grainy video streaming.

He vaguely recognized himself, furious and seething, tossing his shield at the refrigerator followed by a hot under the collar Iron Man. Both of them were both donning their suits, but their faces were exposed and clearly must have been in the middle of an argument because he looked like he was about to turn around and dislocate Tony's neck.

_"What, you're going to run away from me now? I'm not a girl, I can take a punch!"_

_The blond's jaw tightened and he whirled around to the brunette, practically ready to combust from the way the veins in his neck bulged._

_"This isn't about strength. You KNOW why I pulled you out of the way because otherwise you could have died! I was worried about you, okay? Is that a crime?"_

_Tony sneered, and Steve decided he didn't like that look on his face because it demonized him, made Tony look like a crazed lunatic._

_"Who asked you to worry about me? I can take care of myself!"_

_"I'm allowed to be worried about whomever I want! JUST SHUT UP."_

_But Tony was still going on, and Steve visibly shook, quaking in anger. The cement around his feet started to crack as his feels grinded deeper and deeper._

_"Was it daddy dearest? Fury? They could care less if I dropped dead tomorrow. And for all I know, you're the sam-"_

_Steve howled, and pushed all the items off the table and forced the suit to Iron to stay vertically pinned under his body weight, sealing his lips and hard and fast against the brunette._

The phone slipped through his fingers, luckily falling into Tony's waiting hands.

"This...This..."

"Not altered, if you must know. Otherwise SHIELD has some weird hobbies."

Steve opened his mouth and shut it, appetite lost.

"Why didn't you tell me the first time I asked?"

Tony looked away, a small almost sad smile perched on his lips.

"You don't even know who I am." Tony slapped down a couple hundreds and left, shoulders hunched. "Thought it was for the best."

Steve flailed, which was a bit of a ridiculous sight to see.

"Wait-what? Where are you going."

Tony turned around, a displeased tone coloring his frown. "You just ruined my dramatic exit! There goes the cliffhanger."

The billionaire went back to the table, arms crossed, looking every bit of a petulant child that Pepper liked to say he saw. "Damn. Pretty sure I just broke the fourth wall."

Steve's mouth hung open, at this point too lost in context to comprehend what exactly was going on. He shook his head, back to the matter at hand.

"Thought it was for the best? Why?"

"Well..." Tony looked as if the words were burning his mouth on the way out, much akin to a bad taste. "We weren't exactly on stable terms before you were knocked out. We..."

"What? What happened?"

"You wanted to get married. You wanted a ceremony. I can't imagine why, either. In your time homosexuality was considered a psychiatric disorder. And then we just...started to fuck I thought it was just a way for you to take out your pent up aggression and be who you really were. I didn't think it had anything to do with actually...liking me."

Steve froze, Tony's dark eyes averted their gaze, and felt exactly what Tony despised.

Pity.

"No one, genuinely...likes me."

Coming from Tony Stark, the confession sounded something a second grader would have said then a billionaire wunderkind. Steve could believe it, because he was no stranger to feeling isolated.

He said as much.

"I know what you mean."

Tony didn't look like he believed a word. "I've seen your file but I can't really get over the fact that you're The American dream."

Steve, unexpectedly flushed at this, the embarrassed blush rivaled the red of the slice that was served to him.

"I was actually a bit of a pariah...being a sickly, underweight kid with no prospects doesn't look very good on the job market."

"Sickly?"

The blond was affronted by Tony's tone of wonder. "You read my file,didn't you? Howard put me in the project for the god serum because I was the 'perfect candidate."

Tony's mouth twisted at this, clearly befuddled. "Huh."

Steve didn't like that expression one bit. "Why else did you think I was chosen?"

"To be honest I thought you and my old man were having a thing."

It took the avenger a moment to decipher the almost bitterness in Tony's statement. And when he did, his mind had just about imploded. Tony, who was ready for this, had slipped his gaze to his watch the moment he saw the processing look in Steve's eyes.

"WHAT?"

In reality, Tony knew for a fact that Steve and his father didn't have a fling (and um, very creepy, who wants to ever consider the sex lives of their parents?) but it was hilarious enough to witness.

"I-I" The poor guy. It seemed like steam was coming out of his ears at the implications, and his face was redder than a tomato. Or the cake, pick your poison.

"I would never-no!"

At Steve's indignant tone he burst into a fit of giggles, all of which he had poorly hid as the captain floundered.

"Calm down! I'm positive that you two weren't doing the nasty. Some things in the world are just too horrific to picture."

Steve was eager to disprove any and all thoughts he had of the both of them. At this point, Tony was glad the evening had taken a lighthearted note by teasing the Captain. Tony took to humor when a situation was meant to be serious. It masked the deep insecurities he had about himself, which were more than often addressed. He felt this at the press conference with the senator when they tried to take his suits, and especially when he had first met with the Captain. Steve knew none of this, but he must have known deep down on some level because he never went out of his way to point out any of Tony's faults, to which he was grateful. It was just like the blond had said, what was he, other than a man in the suit? He dreaded to imagine a future where and Yinsen had never built the suit, and immediately shot it down because Pepper didn't like it when he medicated those thoughts with a Mojito in hand.

"...Tony!"

In his musings, Tony had long forgotten that they had abandoned the topic of Steve's fidelity in favor of his own.

"I heard you were going to have an expensive lawsuit ogling Black Widow."

Tony cracked a smile, remembering when Pepper had said the same not a year ago.

"Is it my fault that everyone with internet connection has access to her breasts? I simply needed to confirm this in person."

Steve shook his head in disbelief, blue eyes twinkling with mirth. "Curious and curiouser. Tony Stark, you are a very strange man."

Tony gave his own smile at this. "So are you, Rogers."

"Oh, and why is that?"

Tony made a gesture between the both of them. "You're still sitting here."

The blond frowned, watching the billionaire pick at his dish and hail a waiter for a drink.

"What do you mean? If you mean the fact that your a bit of an arrogant guy, I'm quite fine with it. There's lots of assholes, but there's only one Tony Stark."

The philanthropist looked pleased to hear this, if the way he ducked his head with a blush and the way he smiled shyly said anything. Steve found that he quite liked that expression when Tony wore it.

"I've got an answer to your early question."

Tony visibly perked up, eyes drawn down in confusion. "What question?"

"About what was stronger, iron or steel."

Tony, loosened by the couple drinks he had been served leaned back, not hiding his bemusement from the Captain. "Oh? And what's your answer."

"Why, steel of course."

"Where's the evidence?"

"What's your suit made out of?"

"A 3-D knit alloy,neurokinetic user-controlled morphologic nanoparticle bundles that form the suit in my body and form a fibrous wet web of iron and platinum-"

"Iron. What is your arc reactor made of?"

Tony saw the point all too soon. "Vibranium."

"An alloy of steel."

"Stark men are made of iron." It made Tony sick to quote his father, but he didn't like the revelations he was facing.

"Men are like steel. When they lose their temper, they lose their worth."

Tony stifled a giggle at this. "Chuck Norris?"

Steve stared at him, dumbfounded. "Who?"

It was all he could take before he burst into laughter anew. "Are we going to be quoting lines back and forth, or does your argument have a point?"

"I like to think I'm apart of you," Steve says conversationally and taps on Tony's chest to drive his point home. The Stark startled and jumped away, feeling the blood rush to his ears.

"And that I make you stronger because you know that you need me."

"When did you get so bold?" he said breathlessly, feeling more in love than he had felt six months ago.

"I learned a thing or two from you, Stark."

The blond had somehow caught the waiter and paid the bill without a second glance. Tony almost wanted to drag Steve back to get the last word, but he realized, watching the restaurant empty, that there were more important things than making a point.


End file.
